The Thames Sailing Club Vintage Regatta is a festival celebrating the history of sailboat racing on the Thames.

It’s appropriate that this event is held at The Thames Sailing Club as the club which was founded in 1870, allegedly the first river sailing club in the country. At this time there was a significant boat building industry in Kingston responsible for much of the technological innovation in boat-building at this time.

This innovation spawned the mighty Thames A Raters. These large dinghies with 40 ft high masts designed to catch the wind above the trees that line the river were the first sailboat designed specifically for sailing on the river. Amazingly the boats that you’ll see being raced hard over the weekend racing include a number dating back to the turn of the 20^th century and one, ‘Ulva’ built in 1898 in Kingston! The Thames Sailing Club is home to the majority of the Rater fleet.

The Handicap fleet of smaller dinghies will be mainly represented by classes developed during the post-war boom in small dinghy sailing.

When to Come

Although racing will be taking place on both Saturday the 26th July and Sunday 27th July, we recommend the Sunday as the best day to view as there will be commentary available on the Sunday. Racing takes place on

Saturday 26th 11.30am until about 4pm

Sunday 27th 10.00 am until about 2pm followed by the prize-giving

How Much does it cost to watch?

Absolutely nothing! This is FREE entertainment for all spectators.

What You’ll See

Racing is divided into 2 series. The Raters race against each other and all the smaller boats race together on a handicap basis. The handicaps are applied to the finishing times of each boat to allow different types of boat to race against each other on an equal basis. This does mean that the order in which the boats finish is not necessarily the result order.

A short downloadable guide to the the individual raters and the other classes racing in the handicap fleet is available here spectator sheet.

Where to Watch

The sailing club is located on the Surbiton side of the river at the upstream end of Ravens Ait, the first island up the river from Kingston Bridge. You are welcome to view the action from the club, though non-members are not allowed to use the bar facilities at the club (for licencing reasons). If you fancy watching in comfort, I suggest Hart's Boatyard http://www.hartsboatyard.co.uk/ next door to the club and almost on top of the start finish line. Bear in mind though that Hart's doesn't open on the Sunday until 11.00 am.

Alternatively you may like to bring a picnic and watch from Barge Walk. This is the public footpath that runs all the way from Hampton Bridge to Kingston Bridge between the river and the grounds of Hampton Court Palace. Be warned though that there are no public amenities available on this side of the river though Hart's Boatyard operates an informal ferry service across the river and you can also catch a ferry at Parr's boatyard halfway downstream towards Kingston.

Depending on wind conditions, courses will be set both upstream and downstream of the island. Some races may even be started from a temporary start line below the Island alongside the upper end of Queen's Parade.

To view a printable map showing the sailing area and recommended viewing places click on spectator map

The club can take no responsibility for the safety of spectators so, whereever you do decide to view from, remember that you are close by deep water and sensible safety precautions should be taken to ensure trouble-free viewing. Please keep small children and animals under supervision at all times, not only for their safety but for the safety of the wildlife along the river and please keep well back from the bank edge.

Do you want to take up sailing yourself?

If you enjoy what you see and would like to get involved, the club has an RYA approved training course in late August. For more details go to training or pop into the club either in between the races (though bear in mind most members will be racing and will be trying to catch their breath!), or the following Sunday afternoon (3rd August) when we will be having an Open Day for anyone interested in taking up sailing.

Arial view courtesy of Barnard Marcus

Page last updated:  25/07/2008 19:18:03

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